CPSC PhD summer course 2017: SYNBIOSYS

Synthetic biology is the engineering of biology: the deliberate (re-)design and construction of novel biological and biologically based parts, devices and systems to perform new functions for useful purposes, drawing on principles elucidated from biology and engineering. In this context, both prokaryotic and eukaryotic organisms such as bacteria (e.g. B. subtilis or E. coli), yeast, microalgae or plants are currently being engineered to address a variety of pressing societal needs, among them the truly sustainable production of high-value compounds like pharmaceuticals, commodity chemicals or even fuels.

While the field initially developed in the model organisms E. coli and yeast, synthetic biology in plants holds great promise for redirecting and (re-)engineering biosynthetic pathways as well as for improving the yield of crop plants, which is one of the great challenges of the 21st century. In this field, the University of Copenhagen is among the leading institutions.

The course will aim at a well-rounded presentation of synthetic biology. Examples of topics are: